Forest of the Forbidden
Page 58
“Yes.”
“Just remember, Jesse, that life is what you make it. Even if you’re gonna live for thousands of years, you must make every day count.”
“Do you believe in fate?” he asked.
“I do.”
“You and me are already set in motion, Taylor. We couldn’t stop if we tried.”
I stared into his eyes, and I couldn’t deny the truth of his words. “You’re far more than the charming vampire from Big Bear Lake, California.”
“Do you trust me, Taylor?” he asked.
Emotion flooded his features, and tears welled up in his eyes. I could see how much he cared about me. We were clearly meant to be together. I couldn’t explain it, but I felt it all the way to the core of my being. I knew life would be better with him by my side, in spite of what he was—or maybe because of it.
I stared deeply into his eyes. “Of course I trust you.”
His penetrating gaze pierced my soul, and my knees threatened to buckle.
“Then prove it,” he said.
The intensity between us began to grow. I drew another breath, deeper than before. A thousand flames coursed through me, threatening to consume me; I could actually feel the heat rising. I’m dying for his touch. Even still, I knew if I stepped out that door, I’d have no defenses against him. I had promised Julie, my new best friend, that I wouldn’t risk too much, but the inexplicable connection between us was luring me with fierce temptation. Should I take him up on his dare? Should I take the risk when every logical impulse is screaming for me to run? If I step out that door, am I walking into danger’s arms?
He had a gravitational pull I couldn’t deny, like a tractor beam, pulling me in. I was drawn to him in every way. I had never believed in that kind of attraction; I’d always thought it was exaggerated for books and movies because I’d never experienced it for myself. Now, standing there in front of him, I felt helpless against its pull, against that butterfly-flying-to-the-moon-and-back sensation. Jesse was him, the guy I’d been looking for, the one who ignited a fire inside of me, the person with whom I felt the strongest, most amazing connection I’d ever felt before.
He held out his hand, and I inhaled deeply. I didn’t know if I was going to die or not, but I trusted him with all my heart.
I stared at his beaming smile as I stepped through the doorway, into his strong arms. His twinkling eyes shone as he gazed straight into my brown ones. The chemistry between us was electric and mind-blowing, but our bond was stronger than that and was steadily growing. I could feel his heart, his love, his emotion, and his strong affection.
Our eyes locked, and everything around me disappeared. I breathed in the scent of his skin. In a flash, his strong arms lifted me off the ground, and within milliseconds, my back was pinned against the outer wall of the house. An electric shock shot through me as his lips crashed into mine. His body pressed against mine, and I let out a soft moan. His breath was hot on my skin, and heat rushed to my cheeks. I tugged at his shirt, allowing him to deepen our kiss. My entire body ignited. Hunger roared inside me as I burned with desire. He tasted so good that I couldn’t stop.
Hot tingles flooded through my body like a giant tidal wave. I loved when his mouth crushed mine, when his strong hands cupped the back of my head as his soft tongue swirled around mine in circles. I slid my hands up his back and wrapped them around his strong shoulders. The mesmerizing kiss grew bolder, turning into something so passionate, so intense, so wild and crazy and everything Jesse represented. The Earth stopped, and everything around me faded other than the beating of my racing heart. I felt like I’d been scorched by a bolt of lightning. When we pulled away, I was gasping for air and breathing heavily. It wasn’t every day I’d met a myth, let alone kissed one.
I had never, ever been kissed like that before, not even in my sexiest fantasies. I’d heard people talk about fireworks, symphonies, and electricity when describing kisses, but the sensation of our lips meeting was a million times more amazing than anything I’d ever imagined. My heart continued beating faster than the wings of a humming bird. I had him in my arms, and I was never going to let go.
I tangled my fingers through his thick, soft hair as the kiss deepened into a passionate lip-lock—long, fast, and intense. He poured all of his mind, body, soul, and emotion into the mind-blowing moment, then kissed me again. This time, it was slow, tender, and passionate—so perfect, so right, and so romantic. Sparks flew as I opened and closed my mouth to the rhythm, wanting to devour him.
He rested his forehead against mine as we took long, slow breaths, his intense eyes burning as he gazed into my very core, right into my soul.
“You stole my breath,” I said, “but I should’ve expected that. You’re supposed to give hot, deadly kisses. It’s what your kind are known for.”
He touched his forehead against mine, and every inch of my body tingled, desperately longed for his touch.
“You’re trouble,” I said.
His winter-blue eyes held mine. “Yet you stay.”
I drew another breath. “I should go.”
A grin creased his face. “But you won’t.”
“When I see something I want, I don’t run just because of a few hurdles.”
“Lucky for me.”
I smiled.
“I’ve wanted to kiss you that deeply from the very second I laid eyes on you in the forest,” he said.
“Me too,” I said, caressing his sweet face. “That was amazing. You’re a great kisser, Jesse...for a dead guy.”
He laughed. “I’m not dead. Please don’t mistake me for one of those walking corpses.”
“Sorry.”
He smiled. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”
I kissed his lips again as rays of light passed through the clouds and shone on our faces. “It’s been cloudy all day...until now,” I said when I pulled away and looked at his beautiful, angelic face.
“See? Even the universe is starting to take notice,” he said, gently weaving his hands through my hair.
I grinned. “Maybe it’s a great and glorious sign that we’re meant for each other.”
“I don’t need signs. I knew it the moment I saw you.” He kissed my lips ever so softly, mesmerizing me as his warm breath hovered there. “Am I everything you thought a vampire would be?”
“Hmm. You’re missing the white, frilly shirt and billowing, black cape,” I retorted.
He smirked. “My mom told me to stay hip with today’s styles and not to wear the cape, no matter how good it looks on me.”
I laughed. “And you’re also missing the slicked-back hair, fake blood, the white-painted face with dark circles, and, last but not least, the plastic fangs.”
“Plastic fangs would make me talk with a lisp. Mine are all natural.”
I touched his lips. “Wow. I just kissed the most prolific monster in the history of movies and television and lived to tell about it.”
“Hollywood is so confused about us,” he said. “I’m far more layered and complex than they’ll ever know.”
“You don’t have an overwhelming desire to bite me, do you?” I asked with a smile.
“Well...maybe, but not for blood.”
“You can control your bloodlust for me?”
“I’m not saying it’s easy. I feed before work, even though I only need to once a week. My mom has a source who supplies us from a blood bank he works at. Eating every day helps keep me in check. Also, Sam taught me how to keep my urges under control, and Kierra showed me what to do when I feel like I’m going to explode. Mom worked with me a lot to teach me how to be around humans and animals. If I couldn’t keep it under control, I could never work at the zoo.”
“Well, you’re doing a good job fitting in,” I said.
I still didn’t understand how I could crave someone like him, someone who was nothing but trouble. Sure, he was dangerous, wild, and untamed, but I found those qualities intriguing as the unquenchable desire flooding through me whenever
I looked at him. My heart beat a million times a minute every time I was around him, but I couldn’t run. Yes, Jesse was a vampire, but I felt safer around him than I’d ever felt with anyone before.
“I didn’t get this way overnight,” he said. “It was...well, a long process.”
I knew he was telling the truth. Life is crazy, I thought, or maybe it’s just fate. All I knew was that I’d been thrown a major curveball, and I had no idea what to expect. Jesse was a puzzle, and I planned to put every piece together until I had the full picture of him. I knew I shouldn’t kiss someone so dangerous, someone with such a dark secret flowing through his veins, but our deliciously wicked kiss played over and over in my head, and I simply couldn’t turn away.
Jesse’s thumb grazed my lips as he stared deeply into my eyes. “There must be something wrong with my eyes,” he softly said.
“What? Why?”
“I-I can’t seem to take them off you.”
I smiled widely. He was my addiction, my drug, and no force on Earth could keep me away. I kissed a vampire...and I liked it, I thought to the tune of that Katy Perry song. A jolt shot down my spine as I gazed into his eyes, still regarding me with that look that told me he couldn’t stop thinking about our kiss either.
The problem was, Jesse was a vampire, while I was a mere human. Not only that, but he wasn’t just a normal vampire, the Dracula sort or one of those baseball-playing, twinkly ones from the movies. No, my vampire was a rare species, a supernatural wonder who could actually walk in the light. When I really thought about that, I was floored.
Will we actually make it? I wondered. Truthfully, I had no idea. I still couldn’t fathom jumping into the world of the paranormal, the darkness of vampire legend. I couldn’t imagine anything more dangerous. Then again, I didn’t care, because I couldn’t imagine anything more intriguing either. I knew the high stakes and the risk, but I wanted him more than I’d ever wanted anything or anyone.
Yes, I knew he was toxic, but sometimes we can’t control what the heart wants—and mine screamed for Jesse with every beat.
––––––––
THE END
***See sample zombie chapters at the end of this intro***
Thank you so much for sharing Taylor’s journey. It was a pleasure having you along. I hope you enjoyed the story just as much as I enjoyed writing it.
Taylor’s story continues with Book 2: Crash, now available
Connect with me online!
Chrissy’s
blog: http://chrissypeebles.blogspot.com/
Facebook Fan Page: (I’d love to hear your comments and thoughts!) https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=vb.351121651567296&type=2#!/pages/ChrissyPeebles/351121651567296
The Crush Saga Book Trailer: http://youtu.be/4eMF8KXEUc4
Books by Chrissy Peebles
***
The Enchanted Castle Series
The Enchanted Castle Series Book Trailer: http://youtu.be/Ysb6uzIdsEk
Enchanted Castle - book 1
My Haunted Fairytale - book 2
Enchanted Dreams - book 3
The Ruby Ring Saga
The Ruby Ring Book Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_w-eZwPJbA
Eternal Vows - book 1
Eternal Destiny - book 2
Eternal Fire - book 3
Eternal Faith - book 4
Eternal Bloom - book 5
Eternal Flame – book 6
The Crush Saga
The Crush Saga Book Trailer: http://youtu.be/4eMF8KXEUc4
Crush - Book 1
Crash - Book 2
Chosen - book 3
Chaos – book 4
The Hope Saga
The Hope Saga Book Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CF9UkY0qiSo
Apocalypse - Underwater City - book 1
Rebel Princess - book 2
Rebel Warrior - book 3
Trapped in the Hollow Earth Novelette Series
Book Trailer: http://youtu.be/viwT0M8Ms_g
* * *
Book 1 - Castaway
Book 2 - Dread
Book 3 - Peril
Book 4 - Outlive
Book 5 - Endure
Book 6 - Persevere
Book 7 - Turbulence
* * *
Book 8 - Hope
Book 9 - Termination - The Conclusion
Apocalypse Unleashed Series
Book Trailer for The Zombie Chronicles Series: http://youtu.be/ociUHiL1g70
Val (prequel to the zombie series) Book Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mp43Ml4hvE
Val - The prequel to The Zombie Chronicles
The Zombie Chronicles - book 1
The Zombie Chronicles - book 2 - Race for the Cure
The Zombie Chronicles - book 3 - Deadly City
The Zombie Chronicles - book 4 - Poisonous Serum
The Zombie Chronicles - book 5 - Undead Nightmare
The Zombie Chronicles - book 6 - Revelation
The Zombie Chronicles - book 7 – Trepidation
BLOG:
http://www.chrissypeebles.blogspot.com
Fantasy Romance Series
Eternal Vows BOOK TRAILER: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_w-eZwPJbA
Never marry a stranger...even if he is a drop-dead gorgeous immortal king.
Never pretend to be a princess.
And most importantly...never slip on an ancient wedding ring you know nothing about.
Sarah Larker returns to a cave where her sister disappeared ten years earlier. She walks through a portal and is mistaken for a runaway princess on the run by a dangerous immortal king in medieval times. Her plan is bold as well as daring—become this princess, wed the king, and slip on an ancient wedding ring that will unlock the portal back home. Then find her sister and run as fast as she can out of Dodge. But taking on the identity of Princess Gloria comes along with dangerous consequences; and slipping on the ruby ring comes with an even higher price.
Zombie Series
***See sample chapters at the end of this intro***
BOOK TRAILER: http://youtu.be/ociUHiL1g70
––––––––
If you like vampires, you might like zombies. If you do, I have a zombie series out in e-book, paperback, and audio. It’s called, THE ZOMBIE CHRONICLES.
*This is a young adult book series. Each chronicle will feature Dean's struggles as he tries to survive in this new world. And thus the name, The Zombie Chronicles. I hope you enjoy this series, and thank you for giving book one a chance.*
Warning: Mild violence. For mature teens or older.
Val was bitten by a zombie and now she’s scheduled for lethal injection. Breaking all the rules, eighteen year old, Dean Walters snags an experimental serum. But it can’t be tested until Val turns into a zombie: something authorities won’t allow. Her execution is scheduled to happen before transformation is complete, giving Dean only hours to break her out.
When their helicopter crashes straight into the heart of Zombie Land, his rescue mission becomes a fight for survival...and giving up on Val is NOT an option.
3 Sample Chapters from The Zombie Chronicles:
The Zombie Chronicles is a FREE download
The Zombie Chronicles
Apocalypse Infection Unleashed Series
by
Chrissy Peebles
Copyright 2012 by Chrissy Peebles
http://www.chrissypeebles.blogspot.com
Cover design by: Patrick Griffith
Edited by: Autumn J. Conley
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/ChrissyPeebles/351121651567296
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, an
d incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.
The Zombie Chronicles Book Trailer: http://youtu.be/ociUHiL1g70
Sample Chapter 1
One year earlier...
It had been a long day in July, with heat waves rampaging throughout South Carolina. Even though nighttime had long fallen and the temperatures had cooled down noticeably, my shirt still stuck to my back. I wondered what good that shower had done that I’d taken before meeting Sherry.
A rush of wind blew through my hair as we rode to the top of the Ferris wheel and then stopped, hovering in midair. I breathed in, relaxed, and listened to the distant screams, music, and laughter echo below us. Sherry set down the stuffed pink pig I’d won for her in the ring toss and folded her hands in her lap, enjoying the silence. I dared a quick look at the stuffed animal, fighting with myself whether to be proud or sink into the ground. The guys back at school surely would’ve suggested the latter, but I didn’t care. Granted, it wasn’t the giant teddy bear I’d spent twenty bucks trying to win, but Sherry seemed happy with her little plush pink prize nonetheless. She squeezed my hand, and I smiled.
I rocked the cart back and forth with my legs.
“Hey! Stop it,” Sherry said, twining her fingers through my hair.
“But you told me you loved it when somebody shook the cart at the very top. And I do too. Love that adrenaline rush.”
She smiled and batted her lashes at me. Her whole demeanor screamed flirty, so I inched closer and wrapped my arm around her to pull her closer. “Do you want to play games or make out?” she whispered suggestively.
Her eyes sparkled like big onyxes as I gazed into them. We had liked each other for months, and we’d been shamelessly stealing glances at each other until I finally plucked up the courage to ask her out. It was our first big date, and I’d been dying to kiss her all night. “What do you think?” I asked with a smile.